The present invention relates to latches for containers and more particularly to a durable latch dog assembly for containers which meets FDA, USDA, and other governmental requirements.
Previous door latch assemblies are described in the following U.S. Pat. Nos.: 974,650 to Ford; 2,499,165 to Roethel; 2,970,718 to Jennings; 3,130,855 to Gunn; 3,567,263 to McKinney; 4,896,908 to Kleefeldt; and 5,230,542 to Wiese.
By the present invention there is provided an improved door latch assembly which is particularly well suited for use with containers having a hinged discharge door and cam means for latching and unlatching the door. The latch dog assembly of the present invention includes a latch dog housing which supports a wear block of UHMW (ultra-high molecular weight) polyethylene plastic or similar material. The assembly is constructed so that pressure of the door cam as well as the presence of a dimple on the housing retains the wear block in proper position while allowing the wear block to be easily removed for thorough cleaning. Operation of the latch dog assembly also avoids undesired metal to metal contact between the door cam and the latch dog assembly.
Thus it is one object of the present invention to provide a latch dog assembly with an easily removable wear block so as to allow thorough cleaning and simple replacement without any special tools.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a latch dog assembly which will avoid metal to metal contact between the door cam and the latch dog assembly.
Further objects, features, and advantages of this invention will become more readily apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.